Zacatecas
Patrimonio Mundial / Centro HistóRico · Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a silver city wedged into a narrow ravine at 2,440 metres, one of the highest cities in Mexico and far less visited than Guanajuato or San Miguel de Allende despite matching them for quality. It was founded in 1546 on a silver strike so rich that it helped fund the Spanish crown for two centuries, and it climbed both walls of the gorge in pink cantera stone, now a World Heritage centre. The cathedral carries the most elaborate churrigueresque facade in Mexico, a cliff of carved apostles, columns and stone foliage finished around 1760. A cable car crosses the rooftops between two hills, Mina El Eden is a silver mine worked since 1586 that you enter on a mine train, and the Rafael Coronel museum keeps thousands of Mexican masks inside a roofless convent that few visitors reach. Expect cold nights, thin air and steep cobbled alleys. Two days covers the centre. Check current state travel advice before you go and drive between cities by day.
Catedral Basílica, Centro Histórico, Zacatecas, Zacatecas, 98000, Mexico
An open city - free, no gate. Museums including the Rafael Coronel and Pedro Coronel keep daytime hours and generally close on Mondays. ⚠ MINA EL EDÉN RUNS GUIDED MINE-TRAIN TOURS THROUGH THE DAY, and ⚠ IT CONNECTS UNDERGROUND TO THE TELEFÉRICO STATION ON CERRO DEL GRILLO - you can walk through the mountain and ride the cable car across the city, which is not signposted as a route. ⚠ THE TELEFÉRICO RUNS DAYTIME HOURS AND SUSPENDS IN HIGH WIND. Callejoneadas run on weekend nights from the main plazas. ⚠ ALTITUDE 2,440 METRES - one of Mexico's highest cities, with freezing winter nights and limited heating. ⚠ ZACATECAS STATE CARRIES A HIGH-LEVEL TRAVEL ADVISORY; the historic centre is policed and normal, and the practical rule is no intercity highway travel after dark. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.